Have you often wished you could make those professional signatures and add a quotation to the bottom of your e-mail? Signature lines reflect your professionalism, and provide your reader with important information.  In an educational setting, at minimum your signature should include: 1. Your name 2. Your position 3. Your location or school. If your responsibilities demand it, your signature could include: 1. Your name and position 2. Your location or school 3. Your postal address 4. Your phone and or fax numbers 5. Your e-mail address 6. Your web site (if you have one)  

Many e-mail users add an inspirational quotation at the end of the signature. This is a wonderful way to share some thing about yourself and your philosophy of life or education. Be sure to provide the source of your quotation. This can usually be a simple mention of the individual’s name. To make an Automatic Signature in Microsoft Outlook:  

1. Open your Outlook program. On the menu bar a the top, click on “Tools”, then click on “Options.” Click on the tab for “Mail Format.” At the bottom of the dialog box you will see information for “Signature.” Click on the “Signature Picker.”

2. If this is the first time you have created a signature, the white signature area will be blank, and you will want to click on “New.”   

3. In the “Create New Signature” dialog box, give a name to your signature under # 1. Under # 2, click on “Start with a blank signature.” Then click on “Next.”  

4. In the next dialog box, enter the text for your signature. To adjust the fonts, highlight an area of text, and then click on “Font.”   

5. When you have completed designing your signature, click on “Finish.” Click on “OK.” In the last box you should look again at the “Signature” portion of the dialog box. There is a check box that says, “Don’t use when replying or forwarding.”  If you check this, your signature will only appear when you create a new mail message. If you do not check this box, your signature will show when replying and forwarding as well. Then click on “Apply” and “OK.”   

If you need additional help, or want more advanced directions, be sure to contact your Technology Resource Teacher (TRT). In addition to assistance with your signature, your TRT can help you with distribution groups, and many other features of Outlook.  

NOTE: If you travel or use different computers, you will need to set up your “Auto Sig” on each computer you use!